The internet's always buzzing with new stuff. And lately, there's been talk about something called an LLM.txt file. Yoast, which is that popular SEO service that most 'SEO professionals' use, created this magic file.
So, what even is it? And is it something we need to implement on our websites to give it a massive SEO or GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) boost? Well, you should know my stance by now... By following the three main principles, you will do your site and business more good than any 'Magic Bullet' will ever do...
What is This LLM.txt Thing Anyway?
Okay, so Yoast created LLM.txt to basically help those AI tools, like ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, understand your website better.
These AI tools don't really "read" your whole site like Google does. They just glance at little bits of it in real-time, and sometimes they miss important stuff.
Think of an LLM.txt file as a simple map or a cheat sheet for the AI. It's a clean version of your content, without all the extra code and clutter that usually fills up a webpage. This way, the AI can just zoom in on the important words and understand what your site is all about.
It's supposed to be super helpful for sites that have:
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Lots of how-to guides or help articles
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Detailed product info
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Big lists of frequently asked questions (FAQs)
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Educational stuff
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Blog posts that you update often
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Just a whole lot of content in general
So Who Is Actually Using It?
To figure out if LLM.txt is a big deal right now, someone checked out a bunch of well-known websites that focus on SEO and content. And guess what? Most of them aren't using it. We're talking big names like Neil Patel, HubSpot, Moz, Ahrefs, Semrush, and many more.
The only ones found to be using an LLM.txt file were Yoast (which makes sense, since they created it) and Search Engine Land. Search Engine Land's file was actually massive – like, 96,500 words long!
So, Do You Need an LLM.txt File?
Honestly? Probably not right now. Even though some AI tools say they'll use these files, most of the big players in the SEO and content world haven't jumped on board. That tells you something, right?
Concentrate on the stuff you know works for the time being, and when you can't do any more of that, then spend some time creating this file.
Instead of worrying about this new file. Focus on things like:
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Making sure your content is detailed, relevant, and high-quality and talks to your customers, not created just for search engines.
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Keep your website clear and easy to navigate.
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Getting the Technical SEO right, making sure search engines can easily "read" your site.
- Get great inbound links for quality websites and content creators.
These are the tried-and-true methods that we know get results. The LLM.txt file is still kind of unproven. Things might change down the road, and if a lot more big websites start using it, then it might be worth looking into. But for now, just keep doing what works to make your site great for both people and search engines.
If your SEO team want to take the time to implement an LLM.txt file, then question first whether you are getting lots of traffic through Search Engine Keywords, so they need to think out of the box, or if they just want to make more retained work for themselves?
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